Dish Serves Up 4K-Capable Android TV Platform for Hotels

Following a recent soft-launch, Dish Network said it has commercially launched Evolve, a 4K-capable, Android TV-powered “set-back” box and interface that is tailored for hotels and other partners in the hospitality market.

Dish, which formally unveiled Evolve in tandem with this week’s HITEC Toronto show, said the new platform integrates regular TV with thousands of Android TV-optimized apps from Google Play.

The UI for Evolve also features a channel preview that enables a pop-up window of a live video, as well as a configuration tool that lets partners brand the UI, customize welcome channels, and pre-populate the box with certain apps. The system also clears a guest’s personal information when they check out.

Evolve, which works with Dish’s SMARTBOX SD/HD distribution system for hotels, also supports Chromecast built-in, an integrated system that lets users cast video and other content from their mobile devices to the TV, and also lets users listen to the TV with Bluetooth headsets.

Dish has not announced which of its hotel and hospitality partners are already using Evolve.

“Today’s guest is used to a TV experience at home that combines their favorite streaming apps with linear, high-definition programming,” Alistair Chatwin, director of Dish Business, said in a statement. “With EVOLVE and SMARTBOX, all hotel operators can now deliver the intuitive and streamlined entertainment that guests have come to expect at home, while reducing costs, increasing performance and saving space across their properties.”

Dish’s new Air TV Player, an OTA/OTT combo device targeted to cord-cutters, is also powered by Android TV.